Virtual Servers
Follow our helpful guides and other resources for your Virtual Server related questions.
What Ports do Virtual Private Servers have open?
Overview All of our Virtual Private Server (VPS) configurations are based on a standard Plesk configuration and build process. As part of this, a number of services are configured and managed by Plesk and many of which have...
Removing a Subdomain on a Plesk VPS
Overview This article describes how a VPS customer can remove a subdomain from within Plesk. This is useful for removing unwanted or unnecessary staging or development sites. Instructions Log in to your Plesk VPS Navigate to Subscriptions in...
How to reboot your VPS in the Conetix Console
Overview This process details how you can restart your VPS in your Conetix account. A reboot may be required where your server has stopped responding and the Plesk emergency access was unable to resolve the issue. If you...
How to Create a Subscription User in Plesk
Overview A Subscription user is used to grant access to a specific domain or all domains on a subscription. For example, a subscription user would be used to grant a Website Developer access to a single domain or...
ModSecurity Update Error
Overview ModSecurity is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) feature which is available with all Plesk servers. A WAF on your server can filter and block known, malicious requests before they can reach your application. Conetix uses and recommends...
Conetix CentOS 8 support beyond December 2021
Overview CentOS is removing support for CentOS 8 due to their shift to only supporting the CentOS Stream project. This means that all existing CentOS 8 systems will require a transition to a different Operating System (OS) in...
WP-CLI not working via SSH with open_basedir error
Overview Plesk introduced a new feature in Plesk 18.0.44 and above which syncronises the PHP version on the site with the PHP version available via SSH for utilities such as Composer and WP-CLI. When attempting to run a...
Plesk Firewall Extension – Do not use
Overview Plesk provide an extension to manage firewall rules on your Virtual Private Server (VPS) within Plesk, however this extension is outdated and will break your server. This is due to the extension using older methods to manage...
Apache Log4j Vulnerability (December 2021)
Overview The Apache Log4j library is a popular, Java based logging utility used by many Java applications. In early December 2021, a critical vulnerability was discovered which allowed for Remote Code Execution (RCE). This vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) was also...
Apache Pagespeed – Enable per website
Overview Apache Pagespeed (formerally known as Google mod_pagespeed) is an an extension available to both Apache and NGINX which automatically applies web performance best practices. This includes functions such as CSS minification, image optimisation, deferral of JavaScript loading...
Plesk VPS Cron Emails
Overview Occasionally, you may receive an email notifying you of a Cron Daemon failure or error. This will generally have the subject of the email as: While the error may be confusing, not all of them are necessarily...
Automatic CentOS 6 Updates
Overview Applying system updates is an essential part of managing a server. This is to ensure that security patches and bug updates are applied and will ensure that you system stays running. With stable Linux platforms such as...
Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerability
Overview Since a patch hit the Linux kernel in late December 2017, it indicated that there was a potential (and critical) security flaw in the way CPU’s allocate memory. As no official security report had been published, there had been a...
Does Conetix Support APC for PHP?
Overview Conetix does not provide support for the Alternative PHP Cache (APC) nor APCu out of the box, as it’s not a standard PHP component. However, it’s important to look at what part of the caching you’re actually after....
How to Set Resource Limits for a Plesk Service Plan
Overview If you have your own Plesk server, you can use service plans to limit resources. This allows you to set different plans for your customers as well as offering upgrade paths. This article will step you through...
How to set up a new subscription under an existing client in Plesk
Overview The following article demonstrates how to create a new subscription under an existing customer in Plesk. This is particularly useful to allow you to manage multiple hosting within a VPS, so that hosting subscriptions can be linked...
How can I purchase a Plesk 12.5 License?
Overview How can I purchase a Plesk 12.5 license key for my server? *How can I purchase a Cloudlinux & Plesk 12.5 license bundle key for my server? *How can I purchase a Kernelcare license key for my server? *Only Available on Linux Platform Each license is available in...
MySQL Error when importing database
Overview When moving between servers, sometimes the large database sizes can cause issues with a standard MySQL / MariaDB configuration. If you see the following when importing: MySQL Error 2006 (HY000) at line XX: MySQL server has gone away...
How to Add Custom Panel Branding in Plesk for a VPS
Overview The following support article demonstrates how to add a customized the logo within a VPS, replacing the default Parallels logo, in the top left hand corner of Plesk. This can be done to customise your Plesk panel...
ImunifyAV Scanning
Overview Conetix uses a multi-layered approach to security, which involves the use of different security tools and services at different levels. One of these tools is ImunifyAV, which is a highly efficient malware and detection engine aimed directly...
Plesk License Key is Invalid
Overview If you’ve attempted to login to your Plesk based Virtual Private Server, and see the following error: The error does not mean the license key is invalid but simply that the server has run very low on...
Plesk – Server reached max_children PHP error
Overview For a PHP based site, you may (on rare occasions) encounter an error with the number of FPM processes allocated to your site. The error message will look something like: server reached max_children setting (5), consider raising...
Plesk Onyx: How to set up a new subscription under an existing client
Overview The following article demonstrates how to create a new subscription under an existing customer in Plesk. This is particularly useful to allow you to manage multiple hosting setups within a VPS, so that hosting subscriptions can be linked to...
Moving Email to Conetix via Mail Importer
Overview This article will guide you through importing email from an external IMAP server onto your subscription with Conetix.This article is suitable for VPS and shared hosting customers and assumes the source inbox is not pointed to Conetix...
Linux Memory Usage
Overview While initial views of the Linux memory statistics may suggest the system has run out of memory, the reality is that Linux uses any free RAM available as a disk cache and buffering for network services. By...
Plesk – Enable Fail2Ban
Overview This article will show you how to enable Fail2Ban within your Plesk based Virtual Private Server (VPS). Fail2Ban is a security module which can limit brute force attacks to your server. NOTE: Secure passwords are far more critical...
How to Manage Email Notices within Plesk
Overview The following article demonstrates how to configure email notices on system events in Plesk. This allows configuring notifications for both the server administrator as well as customers. Instructions Once Logged in to the server, from the left...
Penetration Testing – Request Permission
Overview Before conducting an external Penetration Testing (also known as “pen testing”), you must seek written permission from Conetix before proceeding. As many of the tests involved use scripts and automated systems which use brute force or multiple attacks to test,...
How to Make a Pre-Installed CMS available under a Subscription in Plesk
Overview This support article demonstrates how to make a Content Management System (CMS) available for install on a subscription within a VPS. This is handy for you are on Partner plans to be able to offer one click...
Blank page in Firefox when using a secure (SSL) connection with HTTP/2
Overview If you have recently enabled HTTP/2 on your Plesk 12.5 server, sites viewed in Firefox may simply display a blank page. This is because the default configuration may still use a cipher which has been blacklisted in Firefox only....
How to suspend a subscription in Plesk
Overview The following article demonstrates how to suspend a subscription within Plesk. This action will immediately disable any website or emails under this subscription, however it will not delete the subscription. Suspending a subscription will not suspend DNS...
MySQL Backups via Plesk (phpMyAdmin)
Overview This article will guide you through taking a backup of your MySQL database via Plesk, using the inbuilt phpMyAdmin utility. This highly recommended to do before running any website upgrades (eg Joomla or WordPress) or when Instructions...
How to add a new FTP account in Plesk
Overview The following support article demonstrates how to create a new FTP account in a subscription within Plesk. Instructions Log into Plesk either via the Conetix Control Panel, or via your VPS login page. If you access Plesk...
Disable SSLv3 support in the NGINX Web Server
Overview The recently announced SSLv3 exploit also known as “POODLE” has now made SSL protocols totally vulnerable and thrust TLS as the preferred HTTPS security protocol. However you will need to disable SSL support in your web server’s SSL configuration to ensure you...
Plesk Onyx: Create an Additional Administrator User
Overview Plesk allows for the creation and management of multiple Administrator Accounts. Administrator Accounts are accounts that have access to wide range of settings and features within the Plesk Control Panel. Having multiple Adiministrator Accounts can be useful...
Plesk Onyx – Increasing your outgoing mail limit.
Overview By default, Conetix sets an outgoing email limit within Plesk to prevent accidental misuse of email accounts for sending spam email. We recommend leaving this restriction in place and adjusting limits as required to ensure your server...
MySQL: Basic Command Quick Reference
MySQL Quick Reference Here’s a few of the basic commands to get you started with MySQL from the Linux shell. This article is intended to be a quick reference “cheat sheet” more than an explanation of each command....
Maintaining staging and development sites
Overview A common occurrence when when working on large sites is to spin up a copy of the site as a staging or development copy of the live website to make changes to. While this is a great...
Blocking access via a .htaccess file
Overview If you want to block access to a directory on your website or to all of your website, you can do this via a simple Apache .htacess file. This file allows you to override some of the...
Specific Website Redirection via .htaccess
Overview If you’ve added a domain alias to redirect an existing domain to your main website, by default it will redirect all calls (via an SEO friendly 301) back to the same path on your new site. For...
Enable WHMCS Debugging
Overview By default, WHMCS will hide all errors (eg PHP errors) you experience and this results in either a blank page or a 500 error from the server. When installing new modules, it can be beneficial to test...
Plesk – Diskspace Usage Viewer Extension
Overview This article will detail how to use the Diskspace Usage Viewer Extension in Plesk. This extension can be used to easily and pictorially display the disk usage and help show where the space is used on your...
Disable SSLv3 support in the Apache Web Server
Overview The recently announced SSLv3 exploit also known as “POODLE” has now made SSL protocols totally vulnerable and thrust TLS as the preferred HTTPS security protocol. However you will need to disable SSL support in your web server’s SSL...
Plesk 12 – How to Set Mailbox Size in Plesk for a VPS
Overview The following support article demonstrates how to set the size limit for email accounts under a subscription in Plesk for a VPS. This can be done to limit the amount of hard drive space that the mailbox owner...
Disable WordPress Application Update Notifications
Overview This article aims to guide you through disabling notifications from Plesk about WordPress Updates. These are sent to the server Administrator by default, but can be disabled if excessive amounts of notifications are being sent. Instructions Log...
How to copy a database in Plesk 11.5
Overview This support article steps you through the process of making a copy of an existing database. This can be helpful when testing new software versions so that you don’t interfere with the live site and data. Instructions...
Conetix Firewall Frequently Asked Questions
Overview Conetix uses a multi-layered approach to security to ensure your data is safe. This includes advanced firewalls, server lockdown and security restrictions and for Plesk based systems a number of new security features. We run a clustered,...
Microsoft SQL Server SPLA Licensing Options
Overview The world of Microsoft SQL Server licensing can be confusing and complicated, especially when there’s different licensing agreements and even differences between the agreements with different regions around the world. Under the Microsoft Service Provider Licencing Agreement...
Plesk MySQL Import fails: the SUPER privileges required
Overview If you encounter “Access denied; you need (at least one of) the SUPER privilege(s) for this operation” during a MySQL import, this could be due to the SQL dump containing DEFINER in the create statement. For example:...
How to Change a Hosting Plan for a Plesk Subscription
Overview This article demonstrates how to change a subscription in Plesk from its existing hosting plan to a new hosting plan. This can be used when you are upgading a client to a higher plan or you have...